Fresh to salt

[darth stinji]

Hello all,
My first post!! yeah! I have had freshwater tanks pretty much my whole life. I currently have a 125gal freshwater tank. I have taken some interest in salt water reef tanks. I am planning on changing over to a reef tank in the near future. I have a plan that I would like to run by some experienced salt water aquarists and see what you guys/gals think. Do you see any potential problems. What equiptment do you think I need on initial startup and what can wait till later? Also can you recommend any fish that will do well during the cycling period and (assuming they survive will be ok with a reef)?
My plan is to start with a fish only tank with a small amount of live rock (as much as I can afford at the time, most likely 10- 30 lbs) and a bed (about 2-3in) of live sand. Then after a couple of months I plan on adding a few lbs of live rock each month as I can afford it. Most likely 10-20 lbs a month. Then after I have the right amount of live rock and have saved up enough I will change my lighting to the MH and start adding reef inhabitants. I was planning on starting the tank with a sump with some live rock, a protein skimmer, and some type of wave maker or something like that. I dont think I will need a chiller as my freshwater tank stays at between 77- 86 degrees all year. I currently have about 440w of lighting for my planted tank. 4-110w VHO bulbs. I will most likely change 2 of the bulbs to atinic blue on startup. Any suggestions, comments, funny stories?

 

[saltn00b]

your plan is pretty good. i would try start with at least 50 lbs of LR. a great way to save money is buy 50% or so base rock for much cheaper and then buy the nice LR to go on top of it and seed the base rock.
the tank will cycle with the LR by itself, and it is an old outdated method to cycle the tank with a fish. if you want to kickstart it, try a piece of raw shrimp from the supermarket for about 4 days. this will release a good amount of ammonia to start your cycle. when you switch your light out to MH at that point you may need to get a chiller, but fans can cool a tank a few degrees no problem.
you dont need a wave maker, but you do need a substantial amount of flow or GPH.

 

[darth stinji]

The live rock will cycle the tank by itself? I dont need to risk the lives of fish? Thats cool, for the fish and my wallet. Does it take longer? At what point would you add fish?
Also, when i start adding the good LR will I need any special lighting or are there any other requirements for the LR to start getting the purple algae and other growth?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Darth Stinji
The live rock will cycle the tank by itself? I dont need to risk the lives of fish? Thats cool, for the fish and my wallet. Does it take longer? At what point would you add fish?
Also, when i start adding the good LR will I need any special lighting or are there any other requirements for the LR to start getting the purple algae and other growth?
There is no special lighting for the rock. Yes, the rock will cycle the tank for you. It realy depends on how much die off you have for how long it takes to cycle. It is safe to add fish when Ammonia and Nitrite both test at a steady zero. Do you have a liquid master test kit yet? Also durring the curing process keep an eye on your ammonia readings. If it spikes over 1 do a water change.

 

[cymbal67]

live rock is key in cycling a tank with best results. try to get as much rock up front as you can. and some will say save money and have some base rock in there,... base rock wont cycle a tank or have the beneficial bacteria you need to have better water conditions. if you cant afford to get a good bit of real good rock to start the tank with, you should find a cheaper hobby.

this is a very expensive hobby if you do it right and dont cut corners. but when you spend the money upfront and dont cut corners....your tank will benefit from it and you will have less problems down the road.

 

[darth stinji]

That is for sure, it is an expensive hobby. I can afford the monthly maint. no problem. its the inital startup that gets ya. I may just wait a couple more months and save more so i can start with more live rock.
Thanks all, I appreciate the help.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Darth Stinji
That is for sure, it is an expensive hobby. I can afford the monthly maint. no problem. its the inital startup that gets ya. I may just wait a couple more months and save more so i can start with more live rock.
Thanks all, I appreciate the help.
You can most certainly add more rock later. You will just cure it in a seperate container. This is an expensive hobby up front, But you do not have to buy everything at once.